in article
TheKorn...@rrgparchive.com, TheKorn at
the...@thekorn.net
wrote on 12/23/11 11:28 AM:
> Gerry;1847175 Wrote:
>> Put the sub under the cab ...2 aligator clips soldered to 18 guage
>> speaker wire... clipped to the cab speaker ....run the speaker wire out
>> the bottom of the cab into the sub..(left or right channel....turn
>> it on and WOOF......
>
> Just a note... this method will not work (or work extremely poorly,
> depending on the exact model of sub used) for early WPC games that have
> all the speakers wired in series from the factory. (BoP, BR, DW,
> etc...)
>
"clipped to the cab speaker". Correct. Don't do this if they are in
series.
As long as it is a powered sub and a high impedance level input is used (not
speaker pass through), I would try hooking it up to the output of the sound
board.
Powered subwoofers can have two types of inputs: high impedance and speaker
level. The high impedance level is usually a RCA jack, like the type used
to connect audio between different components in a stereo system. This
should be run directly from the sound board in a pin to the high level input
of the subwoofer - in parallel with the speakers. If, as Korn says, the
speakers are connected in series, you could run into poor sound by
connecting the subwoofer across a single speaker. Or no sound from the pin
if the high level input of the woofer is connected in series with the pin
speakers.
If your powered subwoofer has only speaker inputs, you could still hook this
up, but it might be more of a problem. Speaker inputs on powered subwoofers
are frequently set up to act as high pass filters for the other speakers.
The full output of the pin amp goes to the subwoofer. The subwoofer
separates out the frequencies, sending the lower frequencies to the
subwoofer, then the output goes to the other speakers without the lower
frequencies (hence the term 'high pass filter'). In a pin, that would mean
taking the output from the subwoofer and putting back to the internal pin
speakers. One could just skip this, and not use the high pass filter in
the subwoofer (leave the pin speakers connected the way they are now), but
that is the way the speaker level of a subwoofer is designed to work.
If it is not a powered subwoofer, don't use it. There is not enough power
from the pin. If there is a high level (RCA plug) input, use that.
If you use the 12V unregulated supply from the pin to power a car subwoofer,
the worst you should do is blow the fuse. If that happens, you will need a
separate transformer and 12 V power supply. Purchase one, or build one.
BTW, that Sunfire Subwoofer is a killer. I would think you could flex the
windows with that, or tilt the pin with the sound. Fun.